The Complete Poetry of John Milton (52 page)

           
1
  
  
Thy Land to favour graciously

    
             Thou hast not Lord been slack,

               
Thou hast from
hard
Captivity

    
             Returned Jacob back.

   5   
2
  
Th’ iniquity thou didst forgive

    
             
That wrought
thy people woe,

               
And all their Sin
that did thee grieve

    
             Hast hid
where none shall know.

           
3
  
  
Thine anger all thou hadst remov’d,

  10   
    
         And
calmly
didst return

               
From thy
^a
fierce wrath which we had prov’d

    
             Far worse then fire to burn.

           
4
  
  
God of our saving health and peace,

    
             Turn us, and us restore,

   15        
Thine indignation cause to cease

    
             Toward us,
and chide no more.

           
5
  
  
Wilt thou be angry without end,

    
             For ever angry thus?

               
Wilt thou thy frowning ire extend

  20   
    
         From age to age on us?

           
6
  
  
Wilt thou not
^b
turn, and
hear our voice

    
             And us again
^b
revive,

               
That so thy people may rejoyce

    
             By thee preserv’d alive.

   25   
2
  
Cause us to see thy goodness Lord,

    
             To us thy mercy shew,

               
Thy saving health to us afford

    
             
And life in us renew.

           
8
  
  
And now what God the Lord will speak

  30   
    
         I will
go strait and
hear,

               
For to his people he speaks peace

    
             And to his Saints
full dear
,

               
To his dear Saints he will speak peace,

    
             But let them never more

   35        
Return to folly,
but surcease

    
             
To trespass as before.

           
9
  
  
Surely to such as do him fear

    
             Salvation is at hand

               
And glory shall
ere long appear

  40   
    
         
To
dwell within our Land.

           
10
  
  
Mercy and Truth
that long were miss’d

    
             Now
joyfully
are met;

               
Sweet
Peace and Righteousness have kiss’d

    
             
And hand in hand are set.

   45    
11
Truth from the earth
like to a flowr

    
             Shall bud and blossom
then
,

               
And Justice from her heav’nly bowr

    
             Look down
on mortal men.

           
12
  
  
The Lord will also then bestow

  50   
    
         Whatever thing is good;

               
Our Land shall forth in plenty throw

    
             Her fruits
to be our food.

           
13
  
  
Before him Righteousness shall go

    
             
His Royal Harbinger
,

   55        
Then
^c
will he come, and not be slow,

    
             His footsteps cannot err.

           
1
  
  
Thy
gracious
ear, O Lord, encline,

    
             O hear me 7
thee pray
,

               
For I am poor, and almost pine

    
             With need,
and sad decay.

   5   
2
  
  Preserve my soul, for
^a
I have trod

    
             Thy waies, and love the just;

               
Save thou thy servant O my God

    
             Who
still
in thee doth trust.

           
3
  
  
Pitty me Lord for daily thee

  10   
    
         I call;   
4
  O make rejoyce

               
Thy Servants Soul; for Lord to thee

    
             I lift my soul
and voice
,

           
5
  
  
For thou art good, thou Lord art prone

    
             To pardon, thou to all

   15        
Art full of mercy, thou
alone

    
             To them that on thee call.

           
6
  
  
Unto my supplication Lord

    
             Give ear, and to the crie

               
Of my
incessant
praiers afford

  20   
    
         Thy hearing graciously.

           
7
  
  
I in the day of my distress

    
             Will call on thee
for aid;

               
For thou wilt
grant
me
free access

    
             
And
answer,
what I pray’d.

   25   
8
  
Like thee among the gods is none

    
             O Lord, nor any works

               
Of all that other gods have done

    
             Like to thy
glorious
works.

           
9
  
  
The Nations all whom thou hast made

  30   
    
         Shall come,
and all shall frame

               
To bow them low before thee Lord,

    
             And glorifie thy name.

           
10
  
  
For great thou art, and wonders great

    
             By thy strong hand are done,

   35        
Thou
in thy everlasting Seat

    
             Remainest God alone.

           
11
  
  
Teach me O Lord thy way
most right
,

    
             I in thy truth will bide,

               
To fear thy name my heart unite

  40   
    
         
So shall it never slide.

           
12
  
  
Thee will I praise O Lord my God

    
             
Thee honour, and adore

               
With my whole heart, and blaze abroad

    
             Thy name for ever more.

   45    
13
For great thy mercy
is
toward me,

    
             And thou hast free’d my Soul,

               
Eev’n from the lowest Hell set free

    
             
From deepest darkness foul.

           
14
  
  
O God the proud against me rise

  50   
    
         And violent men are met

               
To seek my life, and in their eyes

    
             No fear of thee have set.

           
15
  
  
But thou Lord art the God most mild

    
             Readiest thy grace to shew,

   55        
Slow to be angry, and
art stil’d

    
             Most mercifull, most true.

           
16
  
  
O turn to me
thy face at length
,

    
             And me have mercy on,

               
Unto thy servant give thy strength,

  60   
    
         And save thy hand-maids Son.

           
17
  
  
Some sign of good to me afford,

    
             And let my foes
then
see

               
And be asham’d, because thou Lord

    
             Dost help and comfort me.

           
1
  
  
Among the holy Mountains
high

    
             Is his foundation fast,

               
There seated in his Sanctuary
,

    
             
His Temple there is plac’t.

   5   
2
  
Sions
fair
Gates the Lord loves more

    
             Then all the dwellings
fair

               
Of Jacobs
Land, though there be store
,

    
             
And all within his care.

           
3
  
  
City of God, most glorious things

  10   
    
         Of thee
abroad
are spoke;

           
4
  
  
I mention Egypt,
where proud Kings

    
             
Did our forefathers yoke
,

               
I mention Babel to my friends,

    
             Philistia
full of scorn
,

   15        
And Tyre with Ethiops
utmost ends
,

    
             Lo this man there was born:

           
5
  
  
But
twise that praise shall in our ear

    
             Be said of Sion
last

               
This and this man was born in her,